The Alberta Lighthouse Initiative has opened its intake for expressions of interest from health service delivery partners to express a problem in the realm of cardiometabolic health, which innovators will then pitch to solve. Projects may be related to Type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (or fatty liver disease), for example. The goal of Lighthouse, a joint program between the Alberta government, Alberta Innovates, and Ozempic-maker Novo Nordisk, is to improve the prevention, early detection, and management of such conditions.
Eligible health service delivery partners have until June 29 to apply. Some will be selected to hear pitches from innovation solution providers so they can choose one to collaborate with. Then the tandem of service provider and innovator will co-create a full proposal due in December for funding of $500,000 over a period of up to two years. Some examples of what decision-makers are looking for are community programs, early detection clinics, and digital tools. Delivery partners must be able to act as an implementation site for the project and be based in Alberta, among other eligibility requirements.
Proposals must answer one of two challenges. The first is centred on getting ahead of health consequences before they reach the management stage: "How might we enable earlier, equitable detection and risk stratification … so that Albertans have better health outcomes?". The second asks, "How might we make it easier for Albertans to access practical, culturally relevant prevention supports that help reduce everyday barriers to cardiometabolic health?"
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Headlines
Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation has unveiled the Critical Medicines Production Centre, an 83,000-square-foot sterile pharmaceutical manufacturing facility in Edmonton. Built as part of the Canadian Critical Drug Initiative, it will produce sterile fill-and-finish medications to address domestic drug shortages and support Canada's pharmaceutical supply chain.
A University of Alberta digital humanities graduate created an AI-powered app called NeuroBridge to help neurodivergent students work through executive dysfunction. Francerlândio Macena da Cruz developed the tool after discovering that AI helped him manage his own ADHD, and designed it to teach students to use AI responsibly rather than rely on it as a shortcut. He has since founded BridgeLabs Solutions and been accepted into Lab2Market's Validate program.
Amber Simpson, one of the University of Alberta's new Canada CIFAR AI chairs, explored how AI can speed up drug discovery and improve diagnostic imaging. She told Folio she was attracted to Alberta because of the chance to work with groundbreaking scientists such as Rich Sutton. "Amii has a lot of really clever AI people who have been put together really thoughtfully, who are trying to solve the hardest problems in artificial intelligence," said Simpson, who is the inaugural director of the Dianne and Irving Kipnes Health Research Institute.
Black Gold School Division's Darren Maltais leveraged Google's Face control, Gemini, and Google Classroom to help a Grade 7 student with cerebral palsy achieve greater academic independence. Student Liam Dansereau is cognitively advanced but physical operations of his laptop were a challenge, Maltais shared in a blog hosted by Google. "Liam can simply move his head to control his cursor, allowing him to open assignments in Google Classroom, turn on voice typing, and complete his work independently," he wrote.
Jimmy Kang, a senior cardiac surgery resident at the University of Alberta, has won the C. Walton Lillehei Resident Forum Award from the American Association for Thoracic Surgery. It is considered the most prestigious trainee research recognition in cardiothoracic surgery. Kang's research focuses on why bioprosthetic heart valves fail over time and proposes using stem cell techniques to counter immune-driven valve degeneration.
Researchers at the University of Alberta have identified a potential target to slow or stop glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer with an average survival of 12 to 18 months. The team found that inhibiting a brain fatty acid-binding protein (FABP7) prevented tumour microtubes from forming, reduced migration, and extended survival in mice. "Identifying the main players in the formation of tumour microtubes may be key to inhibiting glioblastoma cell invasion and therapy resistance," said Daniel Won-Shik Choi, the first author of the study.
A story about the ClarityDX platform from Nanostics earned a group of students from MacEwan University and two international universities a 2026 Flourish Prize in the Health, Well-being, and Human Development category. The competition invites students to share the story of a business that is helping to shape a better world.
The Business Development Podcast featured Colin Christensen, CEO of Tidal Care and mentor to more than 2,000 founders, to discuss functional mushrooms, psilocybin, and the emerging research on mushroom-based mental health therapies.
The Canada-Wide Science Fair in late May handed out nearly $2 million in prizes to the country's top science students. Among the winning projects was an innovation to correct a flaw in blood oxygen sensors that has contributed to higher mortality for Black patients.
Areto Labs co-founder Jacqueline Comer spoke to the University of Alberta, her alma mater, about her path from sports writing to AI safety. The Edmonton startup's software defends people and brands against online hate, misinformation, and bot attacks by filtering harmful content in real time.
Civida is building 132 new homes in Edmonton's Keheewin neighbourhood for a project called Kaskitêw Asiskî. It will include a mix of affordable, community, and market rental suites, plus accessible design and shared community spaces. Construction is expected to be complete in 2027.
Edmonton city council is considering a $6.5-million plan to implement a community hub program to address the growing homelessness crisis. Initiated by Mayor Andrew Knack, the proposal aims to establish either a year-round day shelter or a comprehensive community hub. Despite support from the Edmonton Downtown Business Association and the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, concerns remain over whether government budgets will align with the initiative's goals. Council will discuss the plan during the upcoming four-year budget deliberations.
CBC Edmonton's The Loop podcast explored how Edmonton's 24/7 Crisis Diversion Dashboard uses an animated map to show where people call for help from and how the crisis team responds. Kelly Husack of REACH Edmonton explained how the system works and why participating organizations wanted to make the information public.
Tim Adams, founder of Free Play for Kids, reflected on nearly 20 years of using sport to build life skills for thousands of Edmonton children — including briefly working with soccer star Alphonso Davies. With the World Cup now in Canada, Adams told Be Giant that he plans to hold organizers accountable for the social legacy they promised: "Closing that gap is what gets me up in the morning."
AdaptAbilities' Hearts in Action Summer Camps offer a supportive space to build confidence, develop skills, and form meaningful friendships through structured activities. Each day is designed to encourage participation, independence, and connection in a safe and welcoming environment. Camps run across various locations in Edmonton, Leduc, and St. Albert.
Edmonton pharmacists, clinicians, and medical associations have expressed frustration over the shutdown of PrescribeIT, a national digital prescription platform that closed in May after eight years. The shutdown means providers must return to fax and phone to send and receive prescriptions.
A University of Alberta study found that young adults who vape show early signs of lung and cardiovascular damage, including reduced exercise capacity and impaired blood flow to the lungs. Researchers studying 23-year-old e-cigarette users — none of whom had ever smoked tobacco — described the results as "striking" and said they were not expecting findings as compelling as what they saw.
Alberta received a D-minus grade in an annual poverty report card from Food Banks Canada, largely due to challenges in healthcare access, housing affordability, and food insecurity. Edmonton's Food Bank has seen a surge in demand, serving more than 46,000 people last month.
The Alberta government is allocating $125 million over four years to build a new facility for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Edmonton, addressing significant population growth since 1983. The facility is intended to increase capacity for autopsies, improve lab efficiency, and support rapid response in complex cases. An additional $4.4 million is set for upgrading toxicology equipment.
Strathcona County residents raised concerns about access to care and hospital capacity at a Friends of Medicare forum in Sherwood Park on May 26. "Whether it is rural, urban, or suburban communities, people are worried about the system's ability to keep up," Chris Gallaway of Friends of Medicare told Postmedia.
Happenings
Here are some events coming up over the next seven days:
This roundup was sponsored by Applied Pharmaceutical Innovation.
API is one of Canada's largest not-for-profit life sciences commercialization organizations. We catalyze growth in the life sciences sector by addressing key challenges that hold companies and innovators back.
